Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interests.

Insight into Standard One Through my Experimental Practicum:

In order for learners to be successful, they need to believe in themselves. Sometimes, finding this confidence is hard for students that might not be in the same place in their learning as their fellow classmates. This insight is why I believe that we need to always encourage and have confidence in every one of the students in our care. In my experience, to instill this knowledge in not only our students but also ourselves, we must get to know our students and build meaningful relationships.

If I was a student, and some adult that I barely knew was telling me I was doing a marvelous job, I would be questioning if they really knew enough about my work to say that and the compliment wouldn’t be as meaningful. Now, if my teacher, someone who knew my strengths and weakness came to me, told me about how smart I was and gave me valuable feedback, that would make all the difference for me and rock my world. 

Throughout my experimental practicum experience, I had a grade three class of very diverse and amazing learners. Given that most of my students were at different stages in their learning journey, in order for me to act in their best interests and provide them with meaningful learning experiences, I had to get to know them as the unique individual that they were. After I made these connections with my students, I was able to create lessons that propelled my students forward in their learning. 

Also, teaching (and learning) is less difficult and more significant when you care. Even though I was only in this classroom for a matter of weeks, the relationships and connections I made with the students filled my soul with joy and ambition. As I have been taught in my courses and exemplified in my practicum, when we invest the time to get to know out students (both socially and academically), we can create an enriched learning environment.  

A bucket-filling letter that this student wrote to me. This letter might not seem like a big deal, but how well he wrote it own his own was a big achievement I am proud of.

During this practicum, I had a student that wasn’t at the reading and writing level that most of his classmates were at. Due to this barrier, I spent a lot of the time I wasn’t teaching, working one on one with this student. This student and I got to know one another and build a relationship where I understood his individual struggles with learning and was able to give him strategies that were specifically useful to him. Even in the small amount of time I was a part of his learning journey, I saw major improvements that got me so excited for him. Every child learns differently, and this experience gave me an opportunity to help this student in ways that I would not have thought about without getting to know him better. 

This experience has taught me that when you are struggling to connect or empathize with a student, reach out your hand. Find out more about them, even if it’s not about school. Even if we don’t figure out exactly what this student needs academically, we will have built a foundation of compassion and respect that can aid us in the future. At the very least, we will have a better understanding of this student and be invested in their success, while also teaching them how much they matter and how intelligent they are. Build meaningful relationships with your students, because every student matters.